The Whale Trap
by Ellster
Summary: The team has to secure a valuable museum artifact with a history, but they're not the only ones after it.
1. Chapter 1

_Authors note:  
This story is based (in parts) on my previous stories and 'Dunn and Dusted' by ThiessenClocks. I recommend reading those first._

* * *

 **The Whale Trap**

"Hey there!" The cheerful greeting cut through the backdrop of conversations in the moderately full cafeteria. The man with the British accent didn't ask if he was welcome, but the woman sitting alone at the corner table didn't tell him off either, so he set down his tray and took a seat. "I haven't seen you since Russia. Where have you been?"

"Hi, Benji," Elaine Bray said and the other agent thought he could hear a silent sigh behind the words. She shrugged and looked back onto her plate, listlessly poking the smoked salmon omelette, while Agent Dunn dug into his own food with great appetite.

The cafeteria at IMF's D.C. headquarters served all kinds of meals at any hour to accommodate analysts working with different time-zones and agents arriving with a jet-lag, as well as the occasional R&D scientist with eccentric working hours and the round-the-clock staff of the hospital wing. And their cooking was excellent.

"Debriefing, psych-evaluation, rehab, physical fitness test, drug screening. Not necessarily in that order," she muttered. "You?"

Benji decided to omit that he had completed another mission since they had last met. Although they had passed their field exam together roughly two and a half years ago, while he had quickly become a top agent, her mission count, by no fault of her own, was still one. And even that only unofficially.

"For almost eight weeks?" he asked incredulously.

Elaine nodded silently, chewing on a bite of her omelette. "They kept me in isolation ever since we came back," she snorted. "I thought they'd have me go through field training again. Actually I think they would have, if I hadn't been busted out this morning."

Benji almost choked on his food. "Why on earth would they do that?"

"Because I've been out there on my own for over two years," she shrugged. "You know what happened in that time better than I do, and they can't prove what I've been up to in the meantime. So naturally they don't trust me."

"But you're still a field agent. And they've got to give you at least a little credit for St. Petersburg," Benji protested. "Granted, some people are a bit more paranoid since the CIA affair, but what you just told me still sounds insane. I've never heard that happen to anyone."

The other agent regarded him levelly. "There's people out there who think I should never have passed my field exam. And they know I'd never manage it a second time."

"Oh, that's bullshit!" Benji blurted out, then realised he was almost shouting. He took a deep breath and attempted to change the topic. "Well, you did get out of there. So what are you up to now?"

"Someone drafted me for a mission."

"That sounds great!" Benji cheered, but earned a frown in return.

"I don't know who got me out, but that order must have come from very high up," she said. "Like secretary-level high."

"So?" Benji asked.

Elaine gave him a dry chuckle. "I guess I'm just no comfortable with that kind of favouritism," she grumbled. "Then again you know what they say about gift horses."

Benji nodded and decided to drop the topic. "That mission," he asked instead. "Are you going to Scotland, by any chance?"

"For now I'm going to room 207," Elaine said. "And then I guess I'll see where it's going from there on.

"Well, what a coincidence," Benji said with a full on grin.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Skye was tired and hungry, but mostly happy as she walked into IMF headquarters. It had been almost a month since she had set out from here on a supposedly short routine observation mission which had stretched into over four weeks, turning up more and more leads that lead to more and more nothing.

It had been almost twice as long since she had last seen Benji, except for one night in between missions they had spent together, but mostly asleep from jet-lag. Probably it was this which had driven her into the doubtful decision to accept another mission right away and leave Jane Carter to watch their target until she'd be relieved by some more junior agents.

With a smile Skye stepped into the cafeteria. If Benji was already in the building, she would likely find him here. Also she was ravenously hungry. After she had gotten the call, she had taken the next flight back and therefore missed both dinner and breakfast. And the food on the commercial airliner had not made up for either.

She yawned as she got in line. Turbulence and little children hadn't left much chance for sleep. But as much as she generally preferred to fly herself, she was glad she had had at least a little nap time. Still, she picked up a large cup of coffee with her scrambled eggs, before she set out to look for Benji.

And she found him, sitting at a corner table, talking to someone. It took Skye a moment to realise that the someone was a woman. And whatever she had just said, Benji was grinning widely. He was obviously having fun. Without her.

Skye knew it shouldn't be a problem. It probably wasn't anything. But right now she didn't want to have to talk to someone she didn't know. And Benji hadn't spotted her yet, so she turned around and looked for an empty table, to eat her breakfast alone.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Hey, man. Good to see you back on your feet."

Before Ethan could resist, Luther had caught the smaller man in a teddy-bear hug. "It's good to be back," he replied once Luther let him go again. "Although things could have started off a bit easier."

"I'm sure it's gonna be a breeze," Luther replied and gave him a light slap on the shoulder before he took a seat.

The conference room was relatively small with a half-round table standing in the middle. Four chairs lined the rounded side facing the door and Luther had chosen the one by the wall on Ethan's right. Benji already occupied one of the middle chairs, vividly talking to Agent Bray who sat on his right, effectively facing Luther.

Ethan noted that her hair was shorter than when he had last seen her, standing up in a dark blond hedgehog. She was wearing a dark hooded sweater that left a lot to imagination. Although the line of chairs formed a circle, it seemed as if she was sitting in a corner. Ethan had the distinct impression that she was trying to blend in with the wall and she was watching him warily.

He gave her an encouraging smile when the door opened. Skye entered, carrying a cup of coffee and an exhausted expression. She exchanged a half-hearted looking hug with Benji, before she sat down on the last empty chair between him and Luther.

Ethan greeted her with a nod, which she promptly returned. "I think you haven't met Agent Bray yet," he introduced the other woman. "Elaine Bray, Skye Holt."

The women exchanged a brisk nod, while Ethan switched on the display. The picture of a golden whale inlaid with intricate silver patterns and glittering stones appeared on the screen behind him. "This is the Virtanen Whale, named after Esa Virtanen, the Finnish artist who made it in 1952," he explained. "It's currently on display in the Inverdun Castle Museum. During the Cold War the Whale was used as a Letterbox for spies, they would drop messages through the blow-hole into the hollow interior of the Whale, which would later be retrieved by an operative. Afterwards left on display in the museum, since there was no reason to suspect anyone knew about it. However its most recent owner, Alan Baird, died two months ago and his heirs have decided to auction off his collection. Several private collectors have declared interest in the whale, among them Felix van Hauenstein, who said he's willing to pay a large sum for it."

The picture on the screen switched to a slender, red-haired man with the very professional smile mostly used by journalists. "Hold on," Benji asked. "Isn't that the guy who bought the NOC-list in Seattle?"

"Yes," Ethan confirmed. "Hauenstein started out as a reporter in the late 80s, but since then has moved on to buying and selling information. We don't know what, if any, intel might still be contained in the whale. But any material that might still be there could not only prove dangerous, but also contradict the information from the Seattle list, which would effectively put him on our trail. Our mission is to make sure that whatever information is still stored in the Virtanen Whale will not fall into Hauenstein's, or anyone else's hands."

"I've always wanted to do a museum heist," Luther grinned.

"Not quite a heist though," Ethan answered. "It's imperative that Hauenstein does not know we were involved. We cannot let him get on our track. Our advantage is that Virtanen made two exactly identical copies of the whale, so it could easily be exchanged by operatives. And we currently have that second whale."

"Well, that sounds easy," Benji put in cheerfully and earned a slightly pained look from Ethan in return. "What's the catch?"

"This." The image switched to a three-dimensional schematic of a square room with a high vaulted ceiling and a tall square showcase in the middle. "This is the room where the whale is on display. It's the only sculpture in the room, but the walls are lined with pictures. There are motion sensors along the full length of the wall at 50, 100, 150 and 200 centimetres height, and around the pedestal of the showcase at 50 and 100 centimetres height. Also there is a thin metal grid inlaid in the wall and the glass of the showcase, conducting a weak electrical current, not strong enough to cause harm to a person, but sufficient to be altered by a human's inherent electromagnetic field. If anyone comes with in 10centimetres of the sensors or touches the wall or the side-panels of the showcase, metal poles are lowered from the ceiling, 30 centimetres from the walls, spaced 5 cm apart."

In the schematic, thin cylinders shot downwards, forming two squares within the room.

"These bars can only be disengaged by using two key-cards and the matching security pass-codes. The only exception are the ones at the doors, for those only one key-card has to be swiped outside of the room. The whole system is on a very straight-forward stand-alone circuit and virtually impervious to hacking," Ethan continued. "The bigger problem however will be time. The auction is going to be in two days, and until then we will have to have made the switch. However a gala is going to be held tomorrow, in honour of Baird, who also was a major benefactor of the museum, and that's when we're going in. It's going to start in roughly 24 hours."

"Stupid question," Benji interjected, raising his hand like a school kid. "Why don't we just go in at night?"

"Because until the auction there will likely be more night-guards posted. We cannot do anything that might point to a possible break-in, and we won't get past them without knocking them out. Also over night all of this will be in place permanently," Ethan explained, pointing at the cage-like structure in the schematic. "However we have a few advantages. For one the room with the whale can only be accessed by two corridors connecting it to the main hall. Both of those will be blocked during the party, one by the buffet, the other by a stage. However there is a network of tunnels underneath the castle. All of the outside access-points have been blocked, but there is one maintenance access in the court yard and several old exits within the castle, including one in the room with the whale. This will be our point of entry, and we can also store our gear there. Also Zhen Lei and William Brandt are already in place. Zhen will be disguised as waiting staff. She will be responsible for getting our whale in and the other whale out. Brandt will be teaming up with Skye to impersonate Mr. and Mrs. Olden, Count and Countess of Tor."

The screen switched to a grainy, slightly blurry picture of a blond woman with unremarkable features, the face enhanced in its plainness by cleverly applied make-up. Behind her stood a man in a suit, one arm around her shoulders. His hair was not quite short and might have been blond or brown, his face casting sharp shadows onto itself, giving it a slightly distorted appearance.

"Harriette Olden's family is old British nobility, but she is the last heir of the family title and small family fortune. David Olden used to be an American ambassador, but he left the diplomatic service after marrying Harriette. They are both long-time benefactors of the museum and good friends with Alan Baird and George Rowland, the museum director. They are both rather shy of the public and they know of our operations, and IMF has used them before," he explained.

"Skye, your main job as Harriette Olden will be to relieve George Rowland of his key-card," Ethan continued and the screen switched to an elderly man with slightly dishevelled grey hair framing a largely bald head, a warm smile, and round, gold-rimmed glasses, wearing a chequered tweed jacked over a blue shirt, and a bow-tie with pineapples on it. "As museum director he has full security access, and we will need his card to get into the tunnels. Once you have the card you will pass it to Brandt, who will meet up with the rest of us in the underground network."

Skye nodded, and Hunt switched the picture back to the schematic.

"The room is roughly six by six meters wide, so our effective safe space to work in will be just over two meters on the sides," he explained. "We can't get into the showcase from the sides, so we'll have to come from above. There are no vent-shafts or other access-points in the ceiling, so we will be using a three-point rope-rig, which will be anchored in the ceiling here, here and here."

Ethan pointed at three of the round spots in the ceiling where the metal bars were concealed and they lit up red, forming a roughly equilateral triangle. "In the lowest of these spots the ceiling is four meters high, the showcase has a height of two and a half meters, that means we have just under one and a half meters of vertical working space above it," he continued, while in the schematic three humanoid figures appeared underneath the marked spots. Lines grew from them to the ceiling, meeting in the middle of the triangle, where another figure appeared. "Benji, you, me and Brandt will be taking the ground stations. Agent Bray will take the trapeze part."

Bray nodded, but next to her Dunn raised his hand again. "Hold on," he said. "With the ropes anchored in there, if we accidentally set of the security system, we're really screwed."

"Yes," Ethan admitted. "But we don't know how secure the stone ceiling is. We know the holes for the security bars have been reinforced and we can't risk accidentally damaging any supporting structures. This is the only way."

"So just don't touch anything," Luther smirked. "Where do I come in?"

"You'll be working communications. We'll need to loop the security cameras in and around the target room and someone to watch our backs in case anyone comes in," Ethan elaborated. He knew that even with a heads-up anyone walking in on them would probably shoot their plans to hell, but so did everyone sitting around the table, so he decided not to mention it.

"That's the plan in rough terms," Ethan continued and started distributing folders. "You'll find the details in here. Any questions?"

There was a pause while Hunt looked at each of the other agents in turn, but no one raised an objection. "Alright, our plane leaves in two hours," he concluded the meeting. When everyone got up to leave, he motioned at Benji to stay.

"You know Agent Bray?" Ethan asked.

The Brit shrugged. "We've been in field training together."

Hunt nodded and took a seat. "What can you tell me about her?"

"Well, I know she's been working in the labs before field training, chemistry department. That's where we first met," Benji replied with a frown, suddenly realizing that knowing someone could be very relative. He smiled apologetically. "She doesn't exactly talk much."

"And neither does her file," Ethan murmured, then sighed. "I thought maybe you could give me a picture of what she's like to work with."

Benji thought for a moment. "Passable language skills, as far as I know. Not so good with computers. It's not that she's bad, she's got the intuitive thinking, more like she's lacking the knowledge," he started to explain. "Tough fighter. Creative approaches to problem-solving. Her methods can be a bit brute-force, but she makes it work. Good medical training. But not very, well, social."

Hunt nodded thoughtfully, then smiled. "Alright," he said. "Thanks."

Benji returned the nod and was about to get up, then he decided against it. "You requested her for this mission, right?" he asked, and when the other agent answered in the affirmative, he added: "Why?"

"She's a good fit for this mission. And I want to see what she can do."

Benji bit his lip, then asked the question that had been bugging him the whole time: "Is it true they kept her in solitary?"

"Yes," Ethan answered thoughtfully. There was a tiny edge in his voice that made it sound troubled, when he suddenly looked up. "What do you know?"

It could have been an accusation, but Benji decided Hunt was only gathering information. And he _did_ sound troubled. Like he was missing something, a potentially important piece of a bigger picture. Dunn found he was starting to worry, too.

"Elaine told me earlier. She said there's people in the IMF who don't want her in the field," he said and shrugged, indicating that was all he knew. "And of course there's the rumours."

"What rumours?"

"I've never paid much attention to them. To be honest, I think they're all ridiculous," Benji admitted. "But there's been stories going around for years. That she's some sort of criminal, or an assassin, or spying on us. That she's murdered people. That that's why they wouldn't let her in the field." He shrugged. "People come up with a lot of shit when they're bored and I always thought they're just picking on her because she doesn't fight back."

Ethan nodded again, and sat in silence for a moment. Then he suddenly asked: "Do you trust her?"

Benji realised that this was not the rhetoric question it had first felt like. Although Ethan was quite capable of forming his own opinion, and had probably already come to at least a preliminary conclusion, he was asking Dunn for his view, ready to put at least some trust on his judgement. And for a moment he wondered if the answer to this question was as clear as it had seemed at first.

But then he pushed the doubt away. Elaine Bray was a field agent like him. Disregarding the rumours he had no reason to not trust her, and the rumours were just that, lacking any substantial proof. Benji put as much confidence into his voice as he could, when he answered: "Yes."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Twelve hours later they arrived at the safe house, a small cottage a few miles outside the small town Inverdun Castle was officially a part of, after an uneventful flight and a lengthy car ride. The house was empty, Agents Brandt and Lei out on last preparations.

After they had dropped their luggage, all but Skye left, too, which suited her just fine. She had spent most of their flight catching up on much needed rest and now took the time to internalize the many details crucial to playing her role convincingly.

While Luther had recruited Benji to help him set up their communications and surveillance equipment, Ethan took Bray to have a look at their target area and store the equipment they would need later but wouldn't be able to bring in inconspicuously during the party.

The museum was still open, so they bought tickets and entered as visitors. They took separate ways through the building, which was already getting prepared for the evening with staff-members setting up tables and decorations. Although they walked slowly, pretending to admire the different artworks, they soon met up in the target room.

Elaine was already surveying the room when Hunt came in, and he noticed that her focused gaze had sought out the three anchor points for their rope rig. He let his eyes wander around the room to make sure there was nobody nearby, then he looked at her. "What do you think?"

"Not much space." Her reply was short, matter of fact.

"Can you do it?" he asked.

"We'll have to."

Ethan wasn't sure if he had heard evasiveness in her voice. He decided it didn't matter.

Meanwhile Agent Bray had located the trapdoor leading into the tunnels. It was a square piece of metal, obviously more modern than the rest of the room, and located along one wall, right underneath the only security camera in the room, so it was quite nicely located in a blind spot. Also it was not only not locked, but also opening sideways so that they could open it without risk of accidentally setting off the alarm.

It was a five and a half foot drop into the tunnel underneath, which was built out of roughly hewn stone. It had a vaulted ceiling and was so narrow the two agents only just managed to stand next to each other.

Ethan dumped his backpack on the floor, switched on a flash-light. While Elaine did the same next to him he closed the hatch above them. "Let's make sure this tunnel goes where it's supposed to go," he announced and started off in the direction where the exit would be according to their map.

Bray followed right behind him, when suddenly light fell onto them from behind, followed by a clang of metal on stone. Both agents turned around sharply, just in time to catch the man jumping down through the hatch in the beams of their flash-lights.

The man was almost immediately joined by a second. They both wore casual clothing, but almost identical outfits, and both agents instantly spotted the almost hidden shoulder holsters under their slightly too large sports jackets.

Elaine reacted first, since she was closer to them, and swung her heavy Maglite at the goon next to her. She first hit the man in the chest, then shoved the thinner end into his stomach. Her opponent took a step back but seemed otherwise unimpressed, and once he got hold of the flash-light, wrung it out of her hands.

Meanwhile Ethan had closed the gap between him and the second man. His adversary had managed to draw his gun in the meantime, but the agent was faster and smashed the hand into the wall before he could take aim. There was a sound of something breaking and the gun clattered to the floor while the man cursed loudly.

Before he could land another punch though, Hunt found himself strangled from behind, a strong forearm around his neck, belonging to a third man who must have just come down behind him. He managed to squeeze in one hand under his attacker's elbow, but the grip was relentless, and since his adversary was taller than him he was in the position of power.

He could already feel his windpipe giving way when he leaned back, using his attacker's grip as leverage to kick the first man in the face, when suddenly the sound of a gunshot echoed through the tunnel and his adversary broke down behind, or rather underneath him. Ethan found himself on the floor, but free, and quickly rolled over, away from his attacker.

A dark blood-stain had started to form on the man's shirt, around where his rib-cage ended, but he was still conscious and trying to get to his feet. But before he had a chance, Hunt had gripped his head with one hand and one shoulder with the other, and moved them against each other in a way that quickly and effectively broke the man's neck. Then he looked around.

Hardly a second had passed. His first adversary still lay on the floor, half against the wall, either dead or unconscious. But on the other side of the tunnel, Agent Bray was caught in a struggle.

Elaine was hanging rather than standing, her body turned towards Ethan, but her head held in a similar strangle-hold as he had just escaped by the man she had first attacked. With his other hand the goon had twisted her left arm somewhere out of sight, while her right arm was stretched out, still grabbing the gun-hand of a fourth attacker.

Hunt realized that the gunshot must have come from there and the bullet that had taken down his opponent had probably been meant for him. The goon was trying to adjust his aim now, but the agent was faster and pushed the gun away with one hand while he rammed the other into the man's face. The back of his head met the wall and with the added resistance Ethan's hand broke his nose into a pulp. When he retracted it, the goon sank to the floor and didn't get up.

With her left hand no longer tied up, Elaine, meanwhile, had managed to first push the last attacker into the low ceiling, then thrown him over her shoulder into the opposite wall. The man made an obviously dazed attempt of getting up, but Bray was already there and crushed his windpipe with a well-aimed foot.

"Are you alright?" Ethan asked and almost earned a fist in his face for it.

The other agent stopped short just in time and her hand sunk to her side. "Yes," she answered shortly, although he could see she was carrying her left arm stiffly, supporting it with her hand in her trouser pocket.

But Ethan let it go for now. Wordlessly he helped her back through the hatch, before he pulled himself up. They closed the trapdoor again, pulling the rug back over the metal surface. Then they left the museum and headed for their safe house.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

They arrived at the cottage almost simultaneously with the technicians, and Benji gracefully held the door open for everyone. As Elaine passed, he frowned. "What happened to your arm?"

"Just sprained," she answered curtly and hurried on.

"What happened?" Brandt asked from his spot on the couch next to Lei, joining in on the frowning.

"We ran into trouble," Ethan replied and flopped down next to the analyst.

"What kind of trouble?" Luther inquired. There was something almost like threat vibrating in his voice.

"Czechs, four of them," the team leader explained. "They were also looking for the tunnels, and armed. We got into a fight."

"Damn," Brandt muttered.

On the other side of the room Benji meanwhile had persuaded Elaine to let him look at her arm. "That's going to need a splint," he stated and started rummaging in the closet for supplies.

Brandt's frown deepened even more. "Can you still make the exchange?"

Elaine held out her left arm that seemed to be dangling loosely from the elbow joint down. She looked at it with a mixture of annoyance an disgust, then sighed. "No."

"So much for the plan," Luther put in.

Ethan stared at the table without actually seeing it. "We'll change the plan," he stated, but didn't sound convinced, then almost flinched, when Benji cleared the table with one sweeping motion before he set down a bundle of medical supplies.

The technician complimented Bray into a free armchair, then started applying layers of cotton-wool, bandages and fibreglass splint material to her injured arm.

Zhen was watching with interest. "Where did you learn that?"

"I took advanced medical training a while back," the Brit mumbled in reply, focused on his task.

If anyone had been paying attention to her, they could have seen Elaine nodding her approval. Meanwhile Skye only tried to hide her glare, as she emerged from the bedroom.

"What about those Czechs?" Brandt changed the topic. "Are they going to be a problem?"

"They won't." Ethan put stress on the first word. "But if they've been working for anyone, their boss might."

"But we don't know that," Zhen stated.

"Well, I don't think it matters if we don't fix our plan," Luther put in.

"Can you make the exchange?" Brandt asked, turning to Hunt, who shook his head.

"We still need three people on the ground to work the rig."

"I could jump in for you," Luther offered.

"We need you to take care of the cameras," Ethan insisted. "Besides you're taller than me, and I'm taller than Bray, and we're working with limited space as it is. It wouldn't work."

"So you're saying we're screwed anyway," Brandt summed up, but Hunts gaze was somewhere else. "Ethan?"

The team leader was looking at Elaine, then at Skye. "Can you make the exchange?"

"I think so," the Dane replied. She stepped forward and sat down in the last free armchair.

"But we still need the countess," Brandt put in.

Ethan smiled slightly. "Elaine?"

"I would have to wear a dress," Bray replied less than enthusiastic.

"Actually," Zhen chimed in, jumping up, "I saw one earlier that might just fit."

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Sceptically Elaine regarded first her mirror image, then the fabric Zhen was holding up against her shoulder. "I have to wear that?" she asked.

"It is a nice dress, " Lei put in. "And since I don't exactly look like English royalty, I guess we're all out of options."

"Not my fault," the smaller woman mumbled, but proceeded to peel herself out of her more comfortable usual clothes. Even with Zhen's help it was a lengthy and complicated procedure. Elaine kept cursing mentally, and a few times aloud. She hated having to be helped. Nevertheless she sat down patiently, while the other woman put on the finishing touches.

Half an hour later Zhen regarded her with satisfaction. The dress was made of strong, night-blue fabric with a glossy, shining quality. The top had a high back with short sleeves which only just covered Elaine's shoulders and the violet bruises that had started forming there, with the hint of a collar that ended in a V-shaped décolleté. It had the optic of a wrap-around tunic over the front that ended on the right side of her chest, the seams lined with small, shimmering pearls and a flower embroidered in sequins just over her left hip.

The skirts were made of silky satin, falling down nearly to the floor in several interlacing layers that picked up the wraparound optic, and were dotted with the sparkle of occasional small gemstones stitched in, adding some extra glimmer without making it look too much.

Matching the dress, Zhen had given her a simple, but professional makeup with a solid foundation that darkened her teint a little, blue eye-shade that was slightly lighter than the color of her dress, and a dark but not too intensive wine-red lipstick. Additionally she had painted her fingernails in a fitting shade of blue.

Elaine's hair was sticking out somewhat more, quite literally. Her head was turned into a hedgehog, leaving only a slim portion in the front that ran over her forehead and down the side of her face in a kind of fringe, all glued into position with at least half a bottle of hairspray and other things she had lost track of in the process. Her look was completed by a tight necklace with a small, shiny flower and two short lines of even smaller flowers dangling from her ears.

The dress was nice, and astonishingly comfortable, Bray admitted silently as she regarded herself in the mirror. Then she caught sight of Zhen and shoes she was holding.

"What's wrong?" Lei asked when she was greeted with a grimace.

Elaine nodded at the footwear. It was a pair of black plateau shoes with three broad straps across and a line of obsidian pearls running down the middle."Do I have to?"

"It's the best I could find in your size, I'm afraid," Zhen replied. "Any smaller and you'd be stepping on your seams, and we don't have a shorter dress that fits you."

Bray sighed, but sat back down to let the other agent slip the shoes onto her feet.

"You don't like high shoes?" Zhen asked sympathetically while she fumbled with the clasps.

"I don't like dressing up," Elaine replied. Once the shoes were secured, she stood up and took a moment to get used to her new height. Then she sighed. "Let's get this over with."

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Everyone's focus was immediately on them as they reentered the living-room. Zhen made a half bow while holding open the door, then announced in a mock-official tone: "I present Harriette Olden, Countess of Tor."

There was a quiet whistle from Benji, who didn't notice the dark look he gained from Skye in return, and Elaine answered it with a deep curtsy. When she looked up again, Brandt was standing in front of her, done up in a tuxedo, his hair slicked back, offering her his arm. "Milady," he said with a half bow and a half hidden smile.

Bray linked her arm with his, and they turned to the door, followed by Luther who was wearing a plain black suit, like a chauffeur or security guard. "Let's get this show rolling."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The main hall was already well crowded when they arrived. Her arm still linked with Brandt's, Elaine let him lead her through the crowd, while she scanned the room. But soon they were intercepted by a small rotund figure.

"There you are! I was almost afraid you would not be coming." George Rowland was hardly taller than Bray in her heels, as he emphatically shook her and Agent Brandt's hands. "It is so good to see you both here tonight. I just regret it has to be under such circumstances."

"The pleasure is all ours," Brandt replied and carefully retrieved his hand from the older man's grip. "Despite the circumstances."

"Of course, of course. And may I just say that you look stunning, Mrs Olden, as always," Rowland continued, turning to Elaine. "Oh Lord, what happened to your arm?"

"A riding accident," she answered with a smile, in a crisp British accent that made her sound unusually posh. "Unfortunate, but nothing to worry about."

"Unfortunate indeed," the director replied. "I was hoping we might finally have that dance you still owe me."

"That should not be a problem," Elaine assured him.

"In that case," Rowland sheepishly looked from her to Brandt, "since I have several functions to fulfill tonight, maybe we could get to it right away, if you allow, sir?"

"I will go find some old acquaintances then," Brandt replied with a smile and vanished into the crowd.

Rowland offered Elaine his arm and she took it, brushing his coat as if by accident to swipe the key-card that was stored in the inside pocket. She quickly slid it into her cast while he led her to the dance floor.

The floor was a square of parquet laid out over half of the hall and already moderately filled with dancing couples. On the stage next to it a quartet made up of a violin, a cello, a bass and a piano had just finished the song and while other dancers moved in and out of the dance floor, they took up positions.

The piano started up on a rapid 3/4 beat and when it was joined by a soft bass, they fell into a quick waltz. It was a nice song, light and melancholic at the same time, with a flowing motion, and Elaine decided that since for her the hardest part was already over, she could as well enjoy the dance.

The director was a good dancer with firm but flexible movements and astonishingly agile for his figure. Still, when they ended the dance with a bow and a curtsy, respectively, he was very much out of breath.

"A pleasure, as always," he panted. "If you would excuse me now, though. I have a speech to give in a few minutes and I'll have to catch my breath until then."

"Of course," Elaine smiled, and while Rowland headed for the stage, she oriented herself towards the bar, where she assumed Brandt. Making her way through the crowd, she touched her radio transmitter: "Key secured. I'm headed to the bar."

"Acknowledged," Brandt's voice sounded in her ear.

"Excuse me," another voice sounded behind her.

Elaine suppressed the urge to grab the hand that touched her shoulder and slam its owner into the floor, and turned around to face a tall man with a barely tamed head of red hair.

"I couldn't help but notice you are a formidable dancer," the man said with accent that was neither British nor American, but something in between and had a slight staccato quality. "I hoped you would be free for the next dance."

Bray tried to think of a polite excuse, but right then her radio crackled again.

"Video feeds are looped. I got eyes on the target and the hallways," Luther's voice announced. "You're good to..."

The rest was swallowed in static.

Meanwhile the band had started again, a 4/4 beat this time, some classical piece she did not recognize. Her opposite had obviously taken her silence for a yes, for he had taken up a samba step. They were not in the middle of the dance floor, but still far enough in that she couldn't get out. Elaine felt her heartbeat race with rising panic.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself," the man said in a raspy tenor. "Felix van Hauenstein. And you are Miss...?"

"Mrs. Harriette Olden," Elaine replied, stressing the first word. She was starting to sweat, inside her cast the key-card was uncomfortably rubbing against her skin.

"Ah, the countess. I have heard a lot about your good deeds for the museum," van Hauenstein replied. His grin felt slimy. "I am just a lowly reporter, despite my name. And only here for the view."

Bray decided not to reply. His steps were stiff and forceful, she had to watch her feet, and his grip was far too tight for her to be comfortable. When the song was over she was glad she was saved by the speech. "It was a pleasure, Mr. Honsten," she said with a nod that could have been seen as condescending. Inwardly she was deeply satisfied about his grimace when she butchered his name. "Excuse me now, please. I have to go find my husband."

She turned abruptly and quickly fought her way through the dense crowd, before he could follow her. The radio had been suspiciously silent, so once she was sure she had lost van Hauenstein, she called: "Anyone, do you copy?" But the only reply was static.

With everyone's attention on the speech, progress was slow once she was off the dance floor. She had hardly made it to the bar, when the band started playing again. Scanning the crowd she saw van Hauenstein standing a few meters away. She would have to get past him to get to Brandt.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Olden," a familiar voice suddenly sounded from the other side. "Would you honor me with a dance?"

Elaine turned around sharply and let out a sigh when she saw Benji. She nodded and they returned to the dance-floor, where couples were turning in a slow waltz. Dancing lessons were part of field training and they had been partnered more than once, so they easily fell into a common rhythm. The familiar rhythmic movement slowly calmed her down.

"Communications are down. We don't know what happened, but Ethan says we'll go ahead," Benji whispered. "Since we don't have a camera up-link we'll need you to watch things from here."

Bray nodded, although it was clear that without radio contact she wouldn't be able to warn them if anything happened anyway.

"Hauenstein is here," she whispered back.

Benji grimaced. "I know."

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Skye tried to hide her scowl while she watched Benji and Elaine on the dance-floor. She didn't like to see them dance. And she especially didn't like to see them dance this closely. That she knew it was important for the mission somehow didn't make her feel any better.

With a sigh she turned away. Hauenstein was closer to Brandt, and he had seen Benji before, so this was the safer option. She had even agreed to it, albeit reluctantly. Also deep down a part of her knew that she was being stupid.

And either way, this was not the time for personal feelings. After all, she, too, had a job to do. Quickly she moved down the bar, past Hauenstein whom she didn't even acknowledge, and towards Brandt.

The other agent already excused himself from his present company when he saw her coming and Skye decided to keep walking. "We'll go ahead," she informed him, once they were level, and then quickly informed him of the situation.

Brandt nodded he had understood when she finished, and they split up before they reached the edge of the crowd. Skye slipped through a side door into the women's bathroom. She quickly checked the cubicles for occupants and when she came up empty, she entered the last one. Stepping onto the toilet seat, she opened the window and climbed through into the courtyard.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Ethan, Benji, Skye and Brandt met up almost simultaneously at the gate that led to the tunnels, where Zhen was already waiting with a black styrofoam box similar to those used by delivery services to keep food warm. Benji swiped the key-card Elaine had given him and the lock on the door opened with an obedient click.

They proceeded in silence along the corridor, lighting the way with torches. Ethan was leading the way. He immediately knew they had reached their target when he found the four dead bodies still strewn over the floor.

"Couldn't you at least have cleaned up?" Zhen complained, stepping over a corpse.

Ethan retrieved the two backpacks they had left earlier, while Benji and Brandt opened the hatch. The question remained unanswered.

Once inside the room, the men took off their jackets and waistcoats, revealing shoulder harnesses underneath, while Zhen started unpacking the bags and laying out their gear.

Skye meanwhile unwrapped the skirts of her dress, until she was wearing only a tight-fitting black leotard. Then she climbed into her own harness and pulled it tight with practiced movements. The shoes that had been stored with their gear had of course been meant for Elaine and wouldn't fit, so she decided to go without.

They shot the anchor points into the ceiling with what looked like grappling guns, the ropes already threaded through, then quickly attached the rig to their harnesses, before each took their station: Ethan and Benji opposite each other in the doorways, Brandt in one corner, using the little space they had as effectively as possible.

"Ready?" Ethan asked Skye standing next to him.

Holt silently nodded.

The idea was that she would swing perpendicular to the corner of the showcase while they pulled her up, to minimize the risk of her accidentally setting off the proximity sensors, before she had gained enough height. Still they had to pull her up quickly, because the ropes would inadvertently draw her towards the case and too much swinging motion could carry her dangerously close to the walls. Once she had reached sufficient height, she slowly breathed out.

With small, careful corrections they centered Skye above the showcase, closely following her instructions. Once she was in place, Zhen handed her the tool that had been specifically designed to melt the glue on the glass without producing too strong an electromagnetic field that would set off the alarm.

Carefully Skye set to work on removing the top panel. She knew she was nervous, she could feel her heart race, but her training and discipline kept her focused. Concentrating on making careful, controlled movements, she took off the glass sheet and handed it to Zhen, together with the tool. In return she received two long telescope forceps. While she started to extract the whale, Agent Lei fitted the glass with fresh glue.

"...copy," the radio suddenly crackled. "If you read me, please, come in."

Skye started at the unexpected noise and almost lost her grip. She took a deep breath, then shut out the conversation and started over.

"We read you," Ethan answered. "What happened? Where are you?"

Holt had managed to lift the whale out of the case and handed it to Zhen, who exchanged it with the duplicate.

"I'm in the guardroom, I locked the guard into the bathroom," Luther's voice explained. "Something interfered with our radio signal, like someone broadcasting on the same frequency. I hitched the guards' radio system. Our loop is still running, but I only have the security room view, so I can't see what's going on."

Slowly Skye lowered the second whale onto the pedestal.

"Alright," Ethan replied. "Just stay there for the moment. Agent Bray?"

She retracted the forceps before she handed them back to Lei and accepted the glass panel.

"I hear you," Elaine's voice answered. "All clear from here."

Skye put the panel back onto the case.

Then everything fell.


	4. Chapter 4

_Authors note: Thanks for the review!  
To answer the question: Elaine is my own creation. (Skye, by the way, was created by ThiessenClocks, who I am sharing I storyline with. I highly recommend her story to everyone, especially if you like her in my writings.)  
Elaine first showed up in my last story "The Russian Quartett", and will appear in more stories from now on. I suggest you read them in order. _

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Elaine had taken up position at the bar, since it gave her the best vantage point over the room, short of being on-stage. Still she felt rather helpless there, even if she noticed something there was little she could have done. So she felt very much relieved when Luther had re-established radio contact.

"I hear you," she replied to Ethan's call. "All clear from here."

Her last words were drowned out by a rumbling noise and bursts of static. She instantly had the feeling that something had gone wrong, a lot. Of course she couldn't be sure, but still she started moving towards the stage and the hallway behind. "Anyone, please copy," she whispered incessantly, but there was only more crackling static.

"Bray, you still there?" Luther's voice finally sounded.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I'm in the main hall. What's going on?"

"Don't know," Luther replied. "But the alarm just went off. I managed to stop the outgoing alarm to the police, but we better have a look what's going on and you're closer."

"Copy," Bray replied, hurrying her steps. She managed to sneak past the stage unnoticed. Once she reached the hallway, she broke into a run.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Brandt hadn't noticed he was standing on the trapdoor, until he suddenly toppled forward when it was forcefully opened underneath him. He regained his balance quickly, but his rope slacked sending Skye swinging sideways.

It was just as well, because while Brandt managed to stay away from the walls, the man from the tunnel was less careful. When the security bars came down, the ropes lost their anchor-points, and the sideways motion was all that kept Holt from crashing into the showcase.

Ethan and Benji reacted almost simultaneously, lunging forward to break her fall. They landed in a muddled heap on the floor.

Zhen meanwhile just ducked out of the way, then hurled herself at the newcomer. The man had climbed through the hatch by now, but was also surprised by the security measures. Enough so, that Zhen managed to get hold of his gun and take him out with the same. She deposited his body on the hatch to keep further intruders back, at least for a while.

On the other side of the room Ethan, Benji and Skye had managed to extract themselves from their heap and established they were all still uninjured. They turned sharply, when they heard an agonized moan.

When the bars came down, Brandt's rope had snagged on one of them. Combined with the momentum of Skye's fall, it had pulled him forward and now his left shoulder was trapped under one of the bars at the corner of the showcase.

"Shit," Ethan breathed, unhooking his harness while he hurried over.

"There's more in the tunnels and they'll be in here soon," Zhen remarked motioning at the hatch that lifted millimeters at a time in small bursts.

"Ethan, what's going on?" Luther's voice almost shouted in his ear-piece.

"We go this, Luther. Stay where you are," Ethan answered while he was joined by the others.

"Copy." Luther sounded less than convinced.

"Benji!"

Everyone turned at the call.

Elaine was standing in the doorway, motioning at the bars that blocked her way. "Key-card."

Benji passed her the card, then knelt down next to Ethan.

"We have to pull him out," the team leader decided, after surveying the situation. Brandt grimaced, as Hunt took his shoulder and Benji his arm. "On three. One, two,..."

"Wait!"

Elaine hurried through the now open doorway with, her heels clacking on the stone floor. "Bad idea. The contusion would cause nerve and tissue damage. And probably horrible bleeding," she explained. "Someone got a knife?"

"My jacket," Brandt groaned through gritted teeth and heavy breathing. "Inner pocket."

Skye picked up the garment, found the knife and passed it to Bray.

"Hold him down," she ordered and the others positioned themselves around the analyst.

Elaine knelt down by his head and made sure she could reach around the bars with her right hand. She flipped open the knife. "Sorry," she whispered, as she set the tip close to where the end of the bar pressed down on his arm. Then she cut through the tissue in a quick, decisive motion.

Brandt's scream echoed from the vaulted ceiling. The metal bar hit the floor with a clang.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The pain made Brandt black out for a second. When he came back around, he looked into a gallery of worried faces, blurred by the tears that had gathered in his eyes. He tried to blink them away and then concentrated on keeping the contents of his stomach down.

"Can you get up?" Ethan asked. A low moan was all he got in return.

"He'll have to," Zhen decided when the hatch did another, higher jump and came back down with a metallic sound. "We got to get out."

"Alright," Elaine sighed. She had taken Brandt's jacked and wrapped it around the wound in an improvised dressing, then grabbed his right hand in hers and rolled him onto her shoulder. Ethan helped stabilize him from the back, and they moved towards the door, while the others hurriedly packed up their equipment.

Benji was the last to leave, when he noticed their whale still lying in a corner where Zhen had dropped it when it all came down. He quickly picked it up and also swiped the dead guy's gun that lay next to it, then hurried to the door, just as the hatch burst open.

"Mr. Baker?" a surprised voice called behind him.

Quickly Benji passed the whale to Skye, then turned around on the spot, facing the tall, red-haired man that had just emerged from the hatch, surrounded by three broad-shouldered goons. "Mr. Hauenstein," he said with an overly pleasant grin. "What a surprise."

"Indeed," Felix van Hauenstein replied. "I thought you wanted to quit the business."

"Yeah, but then I decided I liked the taste of it," Benji answered with a shrug.

Hauenstein took a tentative step forward. "In that case, since you obviously didn't get what you came for, may I propose a joint venture?"

"Oh, I got what I wanted," Benji said, his grin broadening. "And you better run."

Without a warning he raised the gun. Hauenstein flinched as he fired three rounds in quick succession.

The first bullet hit the showcase straight on, taking a big chunk out of two sides.

The second bullet smashed through a corner, leaving half of the glass cube standing.

The third bullet bounced of the whale, and hit the only wall that was till intact, and had kept the structure standing.

The last of the showcase collapsed over the artwork it was supposed to protect, shattering into a million pieces.

When the bars came back down in the doorway, Benji had already turned around to join the others.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

A little way down the corridor they had found a storage room that opened to their key-card. When Benji joined them there, Brandt sat propped up against the wall, while Ethan unraveled the blood-soaked jacket from his equally blood-soaked arm. The analyst looked shaken but more awake than before.

"I don't know what you're doing, but that last alarm just went out before I could stop it," Luther complained over the radio. "Police are probably on their way already."

"Copy," Ethan replied. "Get out of there, we'll handle it."

Luther acknowledged and reminded them that they'd have to go without communications now, then the radio went dead.

"We have to get out," Skye stated. "Before the police are here."

"We got to return the key-card first," Benji put in. He had knelt down next to Ethan and Brandt.

Ethan had managed to remove the jacket and revealed a deep gash that looked jagged and torn on one end and was still oozing a steady stream of blood.

"Forget about the key-card," Zhen put in, but Ethan interrupted her.

"No, he's right. If it comes out that Rowland's key-card is missing, suspicion might fall onto him, or anyone who's been close to him. We can't risk that," he said, while helping Benji tear the former skirts of Skye's dress into stripes that could serve as a bandage. "I'll take it back."

"No, I'll do it."

Everyone turned to Brandt in surprise. "You can hardly even walk," Zhen protested.

"I'll manage," Brandt replied. "But Elaine and I have to go back. We have high profile covers to protect. If we are absent when this is discovered, we will be prime suspects."

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Ethan asked.

Instead of a response, Brandt flinched when Benji pulled the bandage tight.

"We'll have to," Elaine silently sighed from her corner. "He's right. If we don't go, we're screwed anyway."

"Alright," Ethan said, clearly unhappy, while Brandt pushed himself up under the concerned looks of the others.

"I'll need a new jacket," Brandt stated, looking down at the bloody heap of fabric that had been his.

"Take mine," Benji offered. Brandt nodded gratefully, and let the techie help him into it.

"We'll be waiting outside," Ethan said, as he opened the door into the corridor. He placed a hand on Brandt's shoulder, just as he stepped outside and the analyst looked back at him. "Good luck."

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

If anyone had noticed the alarm going off, there was no sign of it in the main hall, where the party was still in full swing. They slipped back in from behind the stage, where Elaine had left earlier, and since the dance-floor was between them and everything else, they decided the easiest way to mix in unnoticed was to mingle with the dancing couples.

The quartet on the stage had switched their style, the piano and bass started out on a blues riff, and when the rest of the strings set in, it turned into _Georgia On My Mind_. Both the ensemble and the audience seemed to prefer this to their classical program, the swing seemed to flow through the room as the cello and the violin started flirting with each other and couples lined up to dance.

Brandt seemed to have recovered a little and led them into a foxtrot with an anticipating smile.

He was a good dancer, Elaine found. His steps were soft and flowing, his leads like gentle suggestions, and she noticed she didn't mind relinquishing control, and even started to relax. When the song ended they were quite close, the only thing keeping them apart her splint that kept her arm at an angle.

The next song was softer and slower, after a while Brandt recognized it as _Dream A Little Dream Of Me._ The pain in his arm had receded into a dull ache, and otherwise he actually felt good, in a way he hadn't for a long time. He was about to ask Elaine if she fancied another dance, but when he saw her face he decided to just go for it. It was a dreamy expression, not quite a smile, but the closest he had seen her come to one so far. He couldn't help wondering what it would look like when she smiled properly.

He was so lost in that thought that it took him a while to realize that the warm and fuzzy feeling wasn't good anymore. It came suddenly. He felt like his surroundings were swimming and even when the nausea faded, there was still a lightheadedness around him that made him feel disoriented and lost.

"Hey, look at me."

The voice seemed to come out of nowhere, calm, but insistent. Following it, his focus zeroed in on a pair of dark, seafoam gray eyes. They seemed stable and grounded, pushing the whirling world around him into the background.

"And breathe," Elaine ordered. She had caught his wrist in her hand, it was sticky wet from fresh blood seeping down his arm. His pulse under her fingers felt hot and rapid. Even in the dim light that was reflected off the sweat on his face, Brandt looked pale. "Keep your head up. Back straight. Eyes ahead."

Brandt managed a small nod and did his best to keep himself upright, when the music suddenly stopped. Couples all around them stopped dancing and ripped out of his continuous movement, Brandt stumbled, sending his world spinning again. When his view straightened up again, he found Elaine had wrapped her arm around his back, while his lay on her shoulders, keeping him upright. If he hadn't been almost passing out, he thought, the touch would probably have been very agreeable. He kept lingering on that idea for a moment before his attention was forced away from it, towards the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm afraid there has been an incident," George Rowland announced. "I'm incredibly sorry we have to end the evening like this, it was certainly not planned. However I have to ask you to remain calm and leave the building in an orderly fashion."

A cloud of murmurs started up, like softly rolling thunder, momentarily drowning out even the speakers. Brandt was glad that this implied they would be out soon, but for now they were still stuck on the well-filled dance-floor.

"Please, calm down," Rowland continued, trying to quiet down the crowd. He only half succeeded. "There is no reason to panic, please. There is no danger, and there will be time for everyone to pick up there belongings, so long as you stay calm."

There was no sudden movement, but a slow drift started going through the mass of people pulling them towards the exit.

"Can you walk?" Elaine asked quietly.

Brandt found it was a very superfluous question since he couldn't see another option, but nodded through clenched teeth. After the heat waves earlier, he now felt increasingly cold. His teeth were clattering in his mouth unless he actively kept it shut. He was sure Bray could feel the shivers running downwards, but she simply directed him forward through the crowd, using every opening she could find.

It seemed to take hours until they had made their way to the door. The crowd grew increasingly dense as everyone wanted to leave quickly, disregarding all appeals to an ordered fashion. Brandt found the stuffiness and heat that many warm bodies in enclosed space created was not exactly helpful, almost unbearable. When the cold night air suddenly hit him in the face once they were outside, it helped to clear his head a little, but he was only vaguely aware that Elaine kept coaxing him onward, until she set him down into a car. After that, everything faded into a gray fog

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"There you are," Luther grumbled as they settled into the backseat. "We already thought you wouldn't be coming."

While he started up the engine, Ethan poked his head over the passenger seat. "Are you alright?"

"I'm OK," Brandt mumbled, half dazed, while Elaine shook her head indicating he was not. Although that, by now, was fairly obvious.

"He almost passed out on me in there," she explained. "The bleeding must be worse than I thought."

"Bad?"

"Don't know," Elaine replied impatiently. "But if we stitch it up, I guess it should be fine."

When they arrived at the cottage, Benji was already waiting for them at the door. He helped them drag the hardly conscious Agent Brandt into the house.

"Skye and Zhen are out, keeping an eye on the police," Dunn explained, while they propped the analyst up on the sofa. "I wanted to go, but I guess I shouldn't risk running into Hauenstein again."

"So, you've said you got advanced medical training?" Bray interrupted what might otherwise have turned into a babbling spree. She had positioned herself at the end of the sofa, holding up Brandt's feet, since with one hand in a splint she couldn't be much help anywhere else.

"Yes?" Benji answered.

"Done any sutures yet?"

The techie looked from her to his unconscious friend on the sofa and back, then he swallowed. "Not on a living person."

There was a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth. "Then this should make for an interesting first try."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

When Skye and Zhen returned a little later, Elaine had given up her previous position and was now silently hovering behind Benji. Occasionally she calmly interjected with advice or instructions, but he found it was mostly her seemingly unmovable presence that helped him keep some calm.

"Hauenstein got away, but his minions were still there," Zhen explained, while Skye simply acknowledged the scene and headed for the bedroom. "They are blaming the robbery on them, so that one took care of itself."

"Well, they owe us that much after the mess they've made," Benji muttered, cutting the thread of his latest stitch, before Elaine reminded him with calm insistence of what he was doing and that he should please concentrate.

"Alright," Ethan nodded, and headed to the door. "I'll go call in for progress reports and extractions."

"If you don't mind, I'll come with you and organize some food," Zhen decided and followed him out. "I've been staring at canapés all day, and that can make you really hungry."

Unnoticed by them, Luther wordlessly slipped into the room where Skye had disappeared earlier.

"Hey."

Skye looked up when she heard Luther come in, but then resumed uncurling her hair out of the braided bun.

He quietly closed the door behind him. "You got a minute?"

"Mhm,"Skye answered and he sat down on the bed next to her.

"What's up with you and Benji?" he asked straight out.

Skye hand-combed the locks she had freed with one hand. "What do you mean?"

"That the last time I've seen the two of you like this, you were knee-deep in unsanctioned business with Ethan," Luther put in. "And you know how that almost ended."

Skye considered protesting for a moment, then she sighed. "I think Benji might be seeing another woman," she finally admitted.

"And you know that how?"

"I don't," she grumbled. "When I came home yesterday I saw him with Elaine. They looked so _together_ , and they're sticking to each other all the time."

Luther suppressed a chuckle. "Well, as far as I know they've been together in field training and the way I remember mine those were about the shittiest three years of my life. And apparently they haven't seen each other in over two years, so I guess they got a lot of stuff to catch up on. Especially considering what happened in the meantime," he put in. "Also Elaine is obviously into someone else."

"She is?" Skye asked, not convinced.

"Kiddo, have you seen her and Brandt together?" he asked solemnly. "Where have you had your eyes the last few hours?"

Skye huffed and returned to unbraiding her hair.

"Alright, I could be wrong," Luther admitted. "But have you even talked to Benji?"

She bit her lip. "No."

"Then you should go do that," he decided. "He's a good guy, kid. And he's good for you. I think he deserves some trust."

"I know," Skye moaned, sinking her face into her hands. "I've been an idiot, haven't I?"

"We've all been idiots at one point or another," Luther replied with an amicable pat on the shoulder. "The important thing is that you notice it and stop being one."

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Looking good," Elaine commented, eliciting a beaming grin from Benji.

"It's not feeling so good," Brandt commented hoarsely.

Bray shot him a glare. "Just the anesthetic wearing off," she reassured the techie. "You did great."

Benji smiled back gratefully, and his face momentarily brightened when he heard a familiar voice call his name. Then his expression dropped. "Hey," he said carefully.

Skye swallowed. "Can we talk?"

He shot a glance at the mess still left on the table, but Elaine interjected. "I still have one good hand," she argued. "I can clean up."

"Ok," Benji answered and gave her a thankful nod when flopped his gloves onto the mess. While he and Skye vanished back into the bedroom, she started to gather up the things strewn over the table.

"Can I have painkillers?" a sleepy voice asked from the sofa when she walked past.

"Once you can sit up straight, yes," she replied without looking at Brandt. "And believe me, you can't yet."

"What does sitting up have to do with it?" he asked looking at her over the armrest.

"You have to sit to swallow pills," Bray explained dryly. "I'm not going to poke at veins with one hand."

"Alright," Brandt muttered. He groped for the back of the sofa, trying to pull himself into an upright position. Instead he flopped to the floor with a soft thud. "Dammit."

"What are you doing?" Luther asked from the other end of the room.

"Nothing," Elaine shot back and did a last run from the coffee table to the rubbish bin.

Brandt gave her a puppy-dog look. "Can you pick me up?"

"I warned you," she shot back and vanished into the kitchen.

Grumbling the analyst turned to Luther. "Can you pick me up?"

"No way," he replied. "And she did warn you."

A moment later Elaine returned from the kitchen with a glass of water and a pill bottle. She set both down on the floor, before she turned to Brandt. "You still want to sit up?"

Brandt nodded a confirmation, and she pulled him up into an almost sitting position with his back leaning against the sofa.

"You still with me?" she asked, when he closed his eyes for a moment.

"Yep," he said with a deep breath. "Still here. Now about those painkillers..."

Elaine flopped down next to him, and handed him the water, holding the pill bottle at the ready.

Brandt took first a careful, then a stronger sip, eying the medicine curiously. "What you got there?"

"Paracetamol."

"Don't you have anything stronger?"

Bray held the bottle demonstratively out of his reach.

"Just kidding."

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

When they entered the bedroom, Benji headed for the bed to sit down, but when Skye stayed by the door he remained standing and faced her. "What's going on?" he asked, carefully, quietly, but with that caring note of alarm that he tried so hard to hide, but that was screaming at her anyway. It hit her harder than a punch.

"I know I've been stupid today," she started and looked up. He met her gaze, inquiring, inviting, yet keeping back to give her the room she needed. She couldn't hold it and her eyes fell to the floor again, as she slumped back against the wall.

"I saw you with Elaine in the cafeteria, just after I came back. You didn't see me. I guess I got jealous," she admitted. "I don't know why, but I started thinking that... that..."

She broke off when her voice wouldn't carry, tears started burning in her eyes. Why did she have to cry now?

"You thought we had something going on," Benji finished her sentence. It was a simple statement, free of any accusation. But full of a sadness that cut deep.

She flinched. Then nodded.

He raised his hand, carefully. But short of touching her shoulder, he let it fall again.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I should have talked to you sooner. I shouldn't have..."

Her voice broke again.

"I'm sorry, too," he replied. "That I ever made you feel that way."

It sounded so sincere. Why was he apologizing to her if he wasn't the one who had done something wrong?

"I didn't realize..." he started, but then his voice broke, too.

There was a pause, then he lightly touched her hand. "I assure you, I've got as much of a relationship with Elaine, as I got with Ethan," Benji said gravely.

Skye snorted a laugh.

"And that was not a joke," he continued, but there was the mischievous grin in his voice. How she had missed that.

Then he got serious again. "Skye."

He took her hands more firmly in his, but still gently. It forced her to look up, into those deep blue eyes, the right one of which had a small brown spot.

"Feather, there is nothing going on between me and anyone. Except you."

"I believe you," she whispered. In this moment she would probably have believed him anything. She wanted to.

A relieved smile flashed over Benji's face, then the puppy-dog look returned. "Can I hug you?" he asked carefully.

Skye just darted forward wordlessly, flinging her arms around Benji. When he caught her in a carefully tight hug, she slid down against his chest, her hands propped up against his shoulders, nestling her head under his chin.

She enjoyed being held. The warmth of his body seeping through his shirt. The stubble of his beard against her cheek. The smell of salt and sweat and Benji.

They stood for a long time. And neither of them wanted to ever let go.

"You know, you haven't told me about Hawaii yet," Benji said after a while.

Skye dismissed it. "It was boring."

"I can't really believe that," he insisted. "You and Jane on a Pacific island, sounds like a top story."

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Come in."

The half-loud call only just made it through the closed door. But the knock had been a warning rather than a request of permission and when the call sounded, it was already half open. Ethan opened it enough to slip in, than closed it again.

"So you're working again already," he remarked and positioned himself in front of the desk.

"I can't not work. It feels like every time I'm away for a few days everything's almost breaking down," Brandt muttered and leaned back in his chair. He raised his coffee cup with his right hand, the left was still hanging in a sling. "At least I can shuffle off some stuff to other people for a while. But you're not here to help me, are you?"

Hunt gave him an apologetic smile. "I wanted to know about the intel from last mission, since we didn't get to see it," he said. "There's been no official report."

"Would be really nice to know if all the shit was worth it, wouldn't it," Brandt mumbled, then he took a deep breath. "There is a report, actually. Unfortunately it's very need-to-know and way above our pay-grade."

"Above _our_ pay-grade?" Ethan echoed, disbelievingly. "But you have access to all the reports."

"Apparently not," Brandt said and emptied his mug. He got up and walked to his coffee machine to refill it.

"Then again there's always been stuff not even I've had access to, you know that. I don't know why they're fussing about 50 years old intel, but I'm not gonna question it," he said, pouring coffee into his cup. "And the fact that someone seems to care such a great deal about it, at least meant that probably it wasn't for nothing."


End file.
